11 cool things you can do when sending requests to RPH blogs
Read people’s WIDs. Seriously, people, it’s 2017. How have so many of us still not figured this out? On most RPH blogs, the WID is one of the most prominent links on the home page. Click it.
Google it first. A good number of the questions I get are ones that I’m able to answer simply by throwing the question into my Google search bar. There are some nifty cheats here on how to get the results you want. It’ll be a time-saver for both you and the helper.
Make sure you’re not asking a repeat question. Some blogs get a heck of a lot of asks, and sometimes they see the same ones popping up again and again. Check the blog’s tags, or use the /search/ function, to see if this helper has already answered the question or filled the request you want to send.
Be specific. You want a guide on how to play a doctor? That’s nice, but there are tons of different types of doctors out there. You want an older version of a faceclaim? Well, I don’t know if you want someone five years older, or seventy years. Tell us in your ask.
Don’t send duplicate requests for large tasks. You want a shoutout, an FC suggestion, someone to give you their opinion on your RP? Go nuts, crowdsource it around the block and back again, ask every helper on the site. But if you want a gif hunt, a guide, or a theme makeover? Send it to one person and one person only.
Be polite. Look, I’m not one of those people who think that you have to say please and thank you or it is automatically rude. But at least use a tone that you’d use when talking to a human, not a machine. “Could you make a gif hunt of so-and-so when you find the time?” is fine; “Gif hunt of so-and-so.” is a slap in the face.
Don’t use pet names. This varies from person to person, and some are fine with some pet names but not others. Personally, I’m fine being called ‘cupcake’ and ‘champ’, but every time someone calls me ‘honey’, ‘sweetie’, or, God forbid, ‘babe’, I wanna puke. Play it safe and just avoid the pet names.
Be careful about your fan myopia. Not everyone watches the same TV shows, plays the same video games, and reads the same books as you. If you want a request for a particular fictional character, tell them which work the character is from, and accept the fact that some requests (like label help or bio writing) simply can’t be filled well by people who aren’t familiar with the work.
Don’t use subjective descriptors. You want a faceclaim who’s “hot” or “cute”? Would you like a theme that’s “cool”? Maybe a character PSD that’s “fun”? Yeah, I’m not gonna be able to be much help. Those things are all 100% a matter of opinion, and the helper probably has different tastes than you. Give me something else to work with.
Like or reblog the filled request. Come on, it is the absolute least you can do to show you appreciate the work. And, if you sent the request on anon and are too shy to like or reblog, lest they see the username and make the connection? Maybe pop back on anon and shoot them a thank you.
Be patient. Helpers are people too. And people have things that occupy time in their lives - jobs, school, family, relationships, friends, health issues, other hobbies, pets to care for, books to read, shows to watch, meals to cook, events to attend, naps to take. Asking for a request to be filled quickly or demanding to know why something is taking so long is going to do nothing but get on a helper’s nerves.
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